Believe This: Atheists Have Better Sex

by ncolesMay 20, 2011 at 4:00PM
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Views: 4,664

When it comes to enjoying a romp in the sack, there’s an advantage to being a non-believer.

Atheists have better sex lives than overly religious people according to a new study. Psychologists Darrel Ray and Amanda Brown from Kansas University surveyed 14,500 people for their study Sex and Secularism. Their research found that religious people are plagued with guilt and these specific emotions actually greatly impact their sex lives.

The study found that while religious people and non-believers had approximately the same amount of sexual activity per week, religious people did not enjoy the experience as much as non-believers. According to the study, “79.9 per cent of people raised in very religious homes said they felt guilty about a specific sexual activity or desire while 26.3 per cent of those raised in secular homes did.”

The survey results were as follows: “Mormons ranked highest on the scale of sexual guilt. Their average score was 8.19 out of 10. They were followed closely behind by Jehovah's Witness, Pentecostal, Seventh Day Adventist, and Baptist. Catholics rated their levels of sexual guilt at 6.34 while Lutherans came slightly lower at 5.88. In contrast, atheists and agnostics ranked at 4.71 and 4.81 respectively.”

Darrel Ray says, “Our data shows that people feel very guilty about their sexual behavior when they are religious, but that does not stop them: it just makes them feel bad. Of course, they have to return to their religion to get forgiveness. It's like the church gives you the disease, then offers you a fake cure.”

People who left organized religion found their sex lives “much improved” once they’d abandoned their faith. Those who left their place of worship “rated their new experiences on average as 7.81 out of ten.”